


An Empath's Plight

by julescoda, sipsteainanxiety



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: ;), Awkward reader, Deception, F/M, Fluff, How tf do i tag, Multific, Shapeshifting, cuteness overload ahhh, flowers ig, hooo boy welcome to hell, lOOOOve, mischief and magic, no stanning angst here, she's terrible at feelings really, soft, that how it be, this is ROMANCE romance, will update relations as fic progresses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2020-02-27 11:19:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18737974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/julescoda/pseuds/julescoda, https://archiveofourown.org/users/sipsteainanxiety/pseuds/sipsteainanxiety
Summary: Combine a socially-inept empath with romantic feelings, you say?What could possibly go wrong!?





	1. Introduction

The world was never going to be the same again. After aliens, monsters, magic and even the unexplainable, it all became commonplace. This is where you enter. You joined the Avengers through Peter’s recommendations. Your abilities were versatile, all stemming from your ability to breathe. People logging powers throughout the world compare the energy you exert to that of the sun, manifesting like sparks of fire, or even electricity. You can heal, yet also cause major harm to someone.

But that was beside the point- you live in a world of superpowered people, and it impressed you how much variety there was. With the ever-growing list of people joining the Avengers, the number of people coming through the complex soon followed. You became accustomed to the missions, the training and the faces of incredible men, women, and those who just _were_. Influencers, literal kings, sorcerers and space-faring crews.

This is not without everyone’s fair share of conflict, but they learned to sort through it quickly, both for their own good and for the good of the world. As a parallel to that, this was not without everyone’s fair share of simply being human (or alien). Mistakes were made, jokes were cracked, and light would shine upon these heroes again.

This brings us to the present day, with you casually eating your breakfast while the sausagefest that was the team started flooding into the dining room. Your eyes glanced up for a moment to watch them with indifference. The conversation struck up and drowned out your thoughts-

“Pass the pop tarts, Stark!”

“Did you eat all my Lucky Charms?! Mr. Rogers-”

“And that’s how I managed to save my best friend’s dad’s wife.”

“Bet I could beat you in a race-”

Their bits and pieces of conversation floated around your head without meaning, quickly filling up the silence you had previously grown accustomed to. You stood up and left for the outside pavilion wordlessly, huffing out a sigh that only you could hear. Usually, the banter was a comfort, but today, it only fueled your irritation.

The weather was calm, a soft breeze drifting occasionally through the air to ruffle your hair about. Cotton puffs of clouds speckled the sky here and there. You wandered till you found a quiet place to just relax and breathe, enjoying the silence that greeted your ears, and relaxing in the slightly chilly atmosphere of morning. It was at that moment you realize you left your breakfast in the dining room and there was no way you were going back. Your irritation sparked up again with a vengeance, this time upgrading to frustration. As you were fuming, you noticed a lady of short stature making her way towards you, careful. As she drew closer, you saw her black eyes and her antenna and realize it was Mantis. You breathed out your anger, willing it away, and managed a nice-

“Hey, Mantis.”

She perked up at her name, smiling giddily. Her attention focused on your form leaning casually against a wall, squashing down all traces of frustration so that you didn’t accidentally let it loose on her.

“Hello, Y/N!! How are you this... Morning?”

She took a moment to remember the word, contributing to her rather odd speech patterns and intonation. You found it endearing, though that wasn’t something you would admit to her out loud.

“It’s going alright so far.” You lied, shuffling your feet around to find a more comfortable position.

“That’s good.”

The conversation falls to silence, and you watched her cross her arms behind her back and gaze out into the city. If you focused hard enough you could hear the bustling crowds, and the gentle murmur of conversation from below, and around. A question you’ve had on your mind soon rises up after a few moments of temporary peace.

“How do your powers work?”

She seemed surprised, but not taken aback, her head tilting to the side as she pondered. She must’ve been asked that a lot.

“Well... I am an empath. I can sense what others feel and… somewhat influence their feelings. Like taking them from sad to happy.”

“Ohhhh-”  
  
“May I show you?” Her gaze is somewhat hopeful, as though she wanted to share her powers with you. At the back of your mind, you dimly wonder if she was curious about you.

You still for a moment, a blank gaze encompassing your features. How could she show you? Your curiosity gnawed at you till you silently nodded, hoping it wouldn’t be too bothersome. She perked up and approached your form even closer than before.

She slowly took your hands with trained intimacy, her antenna glowing softly as her eyes fell shut. Her hands were soft and smaller than your own, you noted. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly as she concentrated. You watched with bated breath, afraid to disturb her.

“You feel.. Awe.”

You really did. This was just another humbling experience for you on the range of powers people had. Quite frankly, it was a bit exciting to be able to witness her powers at work in person.

“Now you feel.. Wonder.”

Well, she wasn’t wrong. Mantis let out a hum as your gaze wandered around, moving from her face to your hands interlocked around your waist level. A sudden ‘thump’ from somewhere to your left had you moving your gaze to see what had occurred.

Your train of thought hit a brick wall as you saw someone you quite frankly wished you didn't spot while holding an empath’s hands. A curse flew through your mind as said person ventured out onto the outside pavilion, wandering around without intruding upon your moment with Mantis - looking for something. Your gaze was locked onto their form, ears burning slightly. The empath’s hands tightened on your own, making you snap your attention back to her concentrated look.

“Now you feel love... Romantic love...”  
  
Oh boy. Your heart skipped a beat as you cleared your throat in anxiousness, trying with all the monotonous might you had to suppress your feelings. But, it was too late, and a bit impossible to do at the moment.

“For... For..”


	2. Loki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> out of everyone you had to like, it just had to be the trickster, didn't it

“The trickster!” She said aloud, pointing to the suit-clad god with unabashed confidence, who had been conveniently facing towards you and Mantis - just your luck.

You froze up, heart simultaneously skipping a beat and racing at the speed of light in one go. His eyes snapped up to face your general direction, unreadable. 

“You feel joy and- Oh! Why are you anxious?”

There was a whole bunch of reasons but the most pressing one was coming towards you much faster than you’d like it to come. Various ways of how to deal with said reason flew through your mind, coming to an abrupt halt on one that seemed most logical at the moment. Run.

“Okay I can’t explain right now just please don’t tell Loki about all this thank you-”

The words tumbled from your mouth as you gently twist your hands away from hers. Pushing off the wall, you make a beeline for the dorms, eyes firmly locked on what was ahead of you. Looking back was forbidden. As you stumble on your way, you feel Loki’s eyes pierce your back like daggers, like a predator closing in on its prey.

Once you make it to your room, you slam the door shut and lock it, hoping that the sound wasn’t loud enough to catch anyone’s attention. Your heart beats in your chest wildly, both from your near encounter with Loki and also... Loki. The pretty, cunning, god of mischief. You damn the day you met him, as well as want to relive it. But really, who wouldn’t like him? You can’t think for too long, as your erratic breathing had caused the edges of your vision to blur.

You slowly make your way to bed and lie down, letting your consciousness come back while your mind and heart races, your face heating up appropriately. One of the perks of living in the Avengers tower was the ridiculously soft mattresses and pillows. It brought comfort to your tense form, allowing you to relax and breathe away the stress. When you finally cooled off, you weren’t figuratively tired, just... mentally. After pondering for a few seconds, you spoke up quietly.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y., cancel my training today.”

“Alright L/N. I’ll tell Mr. Laufeyson.”

Silence encaptures your room once again, and you unconsciously found yourself focusing on the sounds from outside, straining to hear something that might be of good intentions. After a moment of deliberation, you close your eyes and turn over onto your side, seeking a more comfortable position. 

You sigh wistfully and wonder how it all came to this.

…

Soon, too soon, it was 2 past noon, as F.R.I.D.A.Y. was quick to alarm you. The noise startled you out of your unrestful slumber, where figures danced around on the back of your eyelids, threatening to spill your inner secrets with a smug smile.

“L/N, it is time for lunch. Do you want to stay in your room all day or-”   


“My room. Anyday.”   


Or Loki’s arms, you thought briefly, accepting the fact that you had it hard for him. But you’d never admit it out loud. Especially not to him, when it was hard to even read the small hints of emotion that danced across his visage, following a beat that was too fast for you to keep up with.

“But you require sustenance.”

You pause before turning to face the door that loomed just a few treads away. Was it worth the effort? The rumble of your stomach answered for you, causing a sigh to leave your lips as you slowly got up, swinging your legs to the side of your bed so that you could stand up and stretch your stiff muscles.

“Fiiiiiiine.” The word left your lips in a half-groan as you ambled over to the door, and unlocked it.

The coolness of the hall beyond drew a shiver out of you, and you stepped out into a Hitman level, a plan quickly formulating in your mind. Get in, get your food, get back to your room. It allowed for zero contact with anyone. Perfect. Should be easy, right?

Wrong, apparently. Before you could even register what was happening, you found yourself stepping straight into a black suit that seemingly appeared out of nowhere, tripping forward into something warm. Tensing your arms and involuntarily snapping your eyes shut, you waited for the impact of the hard floor but it never came.

Instead, you felt your back come into contact with a smooth surface, the impact not harsh, but certainly not gentle either.

Opening your eyes, you see a sea of green and waves of black hair. You shake off the rose tinted glasses for a moment to realize they have you pinned to the wall from one side, trapping you. After staring blankly at a point where the waves of black met the smooth surface of green irises your brain finally caught up and hit you with the realization that it was Loki in front of you. Pinning you. To the wall. The one you wanted to expressly avoid. Blame it on the post-nap delirium, but damn if this wasn’t the quickest failed mission-

“Y/N.”  
  
_That_ caused you to be hyper-aware of your position. One of his arms braced against the wall near your head, his head tilted downward to look at your shorter figure. He trapped you, allowing for little to no room for escape. Your heart had begun to beat wildly against your chest, wanting to come out but to no avail. You swallowed down your struggling emotions. Not in front of him, don’t slip up in front of him. What did you manage was quiet-

“Loki.”

The tension was thick between you and him, silence rearing its unwanted head after the short acknowledgment that occurred. Both your faces were inches away from each other, the soft puffs of air coming from his nose brushing gently against your own. Surely, if you felt like it, you could bump him gently on the forehead, or even - your brain dared to venture forth into scandalous territory - enclose the distance between the both of you. But, this wasn’t the time. You could feel your ears burning, and tried focusing on something to ignore the pink hues that were surely creeping down your neck. You note the cute crease in his brow and slight pout tugging at his lips. His voice cut through the quiet.

“Could you... Explain to me what you and the insect girl were discussing that involved pointing at me?” He questioned in a low voice, eyes boring into your own with a sort of assertive look, as though he expected you to answer. You felt small standing there, against the wall, and his gaze only served to make you feel even smaller.

You purse your lips slightly, deciding to remain quiet and averting your eyes to a point on the wall behind him, unable to hold his burning stare. You were sure if you kept eye contact with him any longer, he would see right through the indifferent look you attempted to clumsily plaster on, reading your feelings like a book. 

“As well as why you canceled your training with me?” It was hard to decipher what he was feeling at this moment. Too hard. 

You were caught, ensnared in a sticky spider web of emotion that refused to let you go no matter how hard you tugged and tugged to be set free. What could you say? ‘I love you and I can’t handle my feelings’? ‘I love you so much my heart aches’? 

A beat of quiet passes between you, until his voice, warm and joking, filled the air, quite honestly bringing a sense of relief to your tense form.

“Do you intend to stay this quiet? You’re usually so talkative.”

You finally broke, snorting a bit. Through your eyes you see the smallest hint of a smile, tugging at the corner of his lips. It made you want to close the gap and kiss him, but you could never muster up that courage anyways. You lean further back against the wall, wanting to leave this closeness, for some respite for what your heart wants. You instead turn your head, facing down the hall, a poorly hidden, giddy smile on your face.

Loki pulled away, straightening out his suit, clearing his throat into his hand. Your eyes darted to glance at him. The smallest hint of a flush was on his face, barely visible on his cheeks. He took a step back from you and sent a nod your way. 

“We… will talk about this later.”

With that, he walked down the hallway swiftly, carrying himself with dignity. (And a cute butt.)   


Your heart sunk again, watching him turn around a corner and disappear from sight. Reality seeped back into your space, thoughts of rejection swarming you. You didn't know how he felt about you. He could hate you completely for all you know. You take a shaky breath, turning around and entering your room again. You didn't have much of an appetite anyway.

…

11 in the evening. You stepped out earlier to grab some snacks without further incident. Bags of potato chips and juice pouches lay scattered at the foot of your bed. It wasn’t healthy, but it was better than nothing. In the midst of your thoughts and tinkering, a soft knock at the door caught your attention. You weren’t expecting anyone, so this had you slightly on edge.

“Who is it?” You called out quietly, scrambling to get up and toss all your trash under your bed, where it couldn’t be seen. You cursed the small crumbs that littered the floor here and there, deciding to just get the bigger things first.

A pause.

“It is Mantis.” 

Your tension isn’t completely gone, but you loosen your shoulders in an attempt to ease some of it out of your system. Maybe she’s come for that explanation you promised. To be honest, you didn’t expect her to show up at your room. You suppose it could be nice to talk to her for a bit; maybe it can take your mind off previous events. After shoving the last empty bottle out of sight, you plop down on your bed with a sigh.

“Door’s unlocked. Comm'n in. Close the door behind you too.”

The door creaked open slowly, as the nervous girl entered. She peeked her head through the door first, glancing around (you stifle a cough as you casually kick another empty bag of chips under your bed), before stepping into your room, and closing the door with a soft ‘snap’. She looked more anxious than usual, but it was understandable. She had never been in your room before - maybe you should invite her to sit down? It wasn’t like you hid bodies under your bed or anything.

You patted the spot next to you on your bed, gesturing towards her to sit down. Her eyes flickered down to look at your hand before she hesitantly made her way over. The bed sank in under her weight, and you shifted around a bit. 

You spoke up. “So, what do you need?”

Her head turned to face you, an unreadable look in her eyes. You quirked an eyebrow. “You said you would explain to me later what had happened earlier with my powers. With.. the trickster.”

She said, straight to the point. You hadn’t expected this directness with her. Still, you oblige, finding no problem telling her in the quietude of your room.

You took a deep breath, easing your way into your bed some more. You lay down on your back, letting your hands rest behind your head, and your legs dangle off the side of the mattress as you stared up at the ceiling with a contemplative look. Not many people know of your admiration for Loki, so this was a big leap, letting Mantis know about this. 

But you know you could trust her. Plus, she practically knew already anyway.

“I…” You began softly, tucking a corner of your bottom lip into your mouth so that your teeth could bite it. “I think I love Loki.”

You shudder out a breath gently, feeling yourself ease a little more just by saying the words out loud - albeit them being a little bit rushed. You catch Mantis’ eyes flit to green for a split second, but disregard it, so caught up in releasing the pesky emotions you had harbored for months.

“Oh?” She drew out, tilting her head to the side as she turned her body around to face you. Her eyes caught yours, attentive. “And, why do you think so?”

You furrowed your brows, contemplating her question. Really, why did you think you loved him? Surely it was his personality? His good looks? The way he turned your legs into complete jelly whenever you even came close to brushing shoulders, or grazing hands? The looks you two would exchange amidst conversation? 

“I dunno.” You sighed out, closing your eyes. “He’s a trickster, y’know, throwing out lies here and there, and messing around with people’s heads. But, honestly, he’s so much better than that - and I know, because I’ve seen the way he acts at times.” You opened your eyes again to swivel them to the side to hold eye contact with her. “He’s not a bad person, and I guess… I admire him, a bit too strongly.” You added a weak chuckle at the end. 

“I see,” Mantis responded, staying quiet for a little bit before she abruptly got up from your bed. You raised your head a little as she gave you a slight bow and nod of the head. “Thank you for the explanation-” She turned around and made her way to the door (you could’ve sworn you head a small crack of a chip being stepped on - so much for cleanliness).

“Wait-” You suddenly spoke up, a panicked thought coming to mind. You raised yourself up and looked toward the halted form of Mantis, who had just reached out to grasp the doorknob. She paused, the slight tilt of her head in your direction letting you know she was listening. 

“Don’t tell anyone else…” You barely managed to get out without letting your voice croak. Rejection swarmed around in your mind again, akin to a hive of bees. “Please.”

She nodded, sending you an assuring smile, before opening the door gently, and leaving the room without a trace. 

You could only breathe a sigh of some relief, lowering yourself back onto your bed. You needed a break.

… 

The next morning, you stumble out of your room, forgetting all about the encounter from the previous night. You squint at the light that came from all directions, turning to move in the direction of food. As you shuffle onward towards the kitchen for breakfast, a black-clad man was walking with you to your right. You hadn't noticed till-

“Good morning, darling.”

You flinch at the unexpected greeting, eyes darting quickly to the side to glance at him, but you respond all the same.

“Morning, Loki..”

Things fell to quiet, only punctuated by your yawns occasionally, Loki’s more stifled ones following after. How cute. You spare a glance towards him again, taking note of the slight bags under his eyes and slightly disheveled hair. Must’ve been a long night. You definitely understood the feeling.

“Did you… sleep okay?”

“Hm? Oh, of course.”

You paused, feeling a little dissuaded by his prevalent bags and slight exhaustion peeking through.

“Is that a lie?” He was the God of Lies, after all.

“Maybe, maybe not.” He suddenly smirks wickedly, his eyes shrouded in mystery. Unreadable, yet again. You feel your cheeks heat up, making you look away and more towards your future breakfast. The two of you entered the kitchen, the lack of sound telling you that no one was up yet. You didn’t know whether to be glad or tensed that you were alone with Loki. 

As you separated from Loki to go off toward the refrigerator, you could feel his stare boring into your back, your skin prickling slightly from its sharpness. You opened the fridge to grab a carton of milk, inspecting its contents before turning around to walk over to the counter, where a certain box of cereal was calling your name. 

However, just as you closed the fridge and pivoted, you abruptly stopped, a small gasp getting caught in your throat at the sudden appearance of Loki right behind your figure. Your fingers slipped on the carton, but you felt something grip your wrist, the carton soon held firmly in your grasp as you felt yourself being pushed back against the fridge. Really, what was with you and being pushed up against hard surfaces? 

“Ah, careful now.” Loki breathed out, looming over your figure in a way that made you get deja vu. “Wouldn’t want to make a mess now, would we?” 

You swallowed down the frog that had gotten caught in your throat, managing a nod as you glanced down. He practically had your entire body pressed against his, the distance between you reduced to basically nothing. Unlike before, he seemed oddly touchy-feely today, one of his hands holding the wrist of your dominant hand in a gentle grip, while the other brushed your hair out of your face. Soft. Gentle. He leaned in closer, and you held in your breath. 

“Love.” He hummed, looking down at you. All you could do was tilt your head up slightly, meeting his eyes with your own. They appeared to be a shade lighter in the sun-kissed lighting of the kitchen, though still just as uninterpretable. “Is there something you wish to tell me?” 

Everything froze at that moment, your heart palpitating wildly as you struggled to keep it under control. Negative thoughts plagued your mind yet again, fear struggling to take over the reins. It seemed as though your dilemma was prevalent through the expression you were unconsciously making, for Loki’s eyes softened by a considerable degree, the hand on your wrist gently tugging the carton of milk out of your hand. You hadn’t realized you had been gripping onto it rather tightly. He magicked the container to a counter before encasing your hand within his own. 

His hands were cold. 

It helped to steel you somehow.

“I-” You managed to get out, closing your eyes momentarily to feel his hand drift to settle on your waist. It sent tingles racing up and down your spine. “I just-”

He leaned in closer, your noses within a hair’s width of brushing against each other, and your breath got caught up in your throat yet again. You couldn’t speak - you weren’t sure if you wanted to - but with the way Loki was steadily leaning forward, his eyes still capturing your own, you wondered if you wanted to break the silence of the moment at all. 

His hand took your chin gently, bringing it upward and rubbing your cheek with his thumb. His eyes were close enough to see a small bit of  _ something _ in there, but you couldn't tell what. You wanted to tear your gaze away from his, but you found that you simply couldn’t. His eyes were too enticing to possibly withdraw from. You cursed the beings that decided to gift him with such a lovely eye color - the color of leaves that danced intricately in the wind, of the ocean on a particularly sunny day in a tropical area, of mirth and luck. You found the tenseness in your shoulder slowly ebb away with each second that passed. 

A few beats of silence followed, as enraptured as the two of you were in each other's gazes. He leaned forward some more, glancing down to your lips and then back to your eyes as though asking for permission. Your eyes wavered ever so slightly, and your observations hit a screeching halt when you felt his lips upon yours, soft and warm. They molded perfectly with yours, his hand tilting your chin up higher. Your mind froze, so caught up in the simple bliss that you found yourself wrapped in, similar to the feeling of drinking a warm beverage on a cold night. Your higher brain functions rolled to a rickety stop as he pulled away, a satisfied smirk on his face as his eyes held nothing but warmth.

“Tell me what's on your mind if you want more of that, love.”

Your poor mind was so jumbled up in the event that had occurred, and you babbled incoherently for a solid five seconds before you realized what he was asking of you. Averting your gaze, you considered your options. Should you come clean? Run for it? One deep breath… two deep breaths…

“I have been. Feeling. Uh… How do I put this?”

He moved back to give you space, though not retreating too far, keen to your words. Patience was infinite at this moment. 

“I can’t really. Put it into words. I just.” You kept beating around the bush, sidestepping the words you wanted to use. He tilted his head at you, and a glance you risked at his eyes told you he was still waiting. Eventually, the swell in your heart grew too great for rational thought. You mustered up faux confidence, mumbling a declaration of affection.

“I didn’t quite catch that, dear.” Surely he found amusement in your struggle.

You grew frustrated at yourself, for being too timid to admit the pesky feelings you harbored for him, and with a sigh you forced yourself to make eye contact with him, temporary determination filling you up. 

“I love you.” You stated, a small twitch of your lips threatening to pull it into a frown should he reject you in some way. The words tumbled out of your mouth like a waterfall, and you held in a breath of air as you once again pulled your gaze away from him. Your eyebrows furrowed. The distance between the two of you felt too far all of a sudden. Suddenly, you wanted to take it all back. 

“I-I mean-” You started to babble again, not meeting his gaze for fear of what you might find there. Your stomach churned. “I-I don’t- I meant it-”

Two treads toward you, and you found yourself incapable of speech, a warmth engulfing your figure as you found yourself wrapped up in him. Your stress was washed away, seeping into the ground and retreating. A simple touch from him was all it took for you to relax, and you closed your eyes, feeling him brush a thumb across your cheekbone. He parted from you a few moments after, holding your face with such fondness that your breath caught in your throat again, and you willed your tears away.

“Was it so hard to admit that?” He whispered down at you, breath fanning against your forehead. 

You let out a shaky breath of laughter, raising your hands up to grip on his arms. He fiddled around with the strands of hair that had fallen in front of your face. “Believe it or not, it actually was.” Your voice nearly cracked, but you cleared your throat and stared into his eyes, which twinkled in a way that reminded you of his mischievous nature. You pulled away from him for a moment, so wrapped up in the unfamiliar warmth you were feeling that you needed to take a breath of air. Just for a bit. 

“A-Anyways.” You mustered up, shaking away your negative thoughts in favor of thinking about what to eat. Anything to take your mind off what had just occurred, for fear that he would take it all back. “I’m feeling rather famished right now, so do you want me to make you anything or-”

But as you turned around to head toward the cabinets, you found you were no longer in the kitchen, oh no, but rather your surroundings had morphed into that of a garden. Your breath got caught up in your throat for what seemed like the umpteenth time today, wondering if what you were seeing was real,

Or an illusion. 

You didn’t dare to turn around to face him, eyes roaming around to watch the roses, the forget-me-nots, and petunias that littered the ground, the soft grass that gently rustled in the breeze that pushed your hair out behind you, the trees that towered so high they seemed to just scrape the turquoise sky. You looked at the vines that snaked around trunks, the bushes of color, the sparkle that seemed to jump from one area to the next, following your line of vision. 

It was breathtakingly beautiful and seemed to go on forever. 

You felt arms circle around your waist, pulling you into a firm chest that brought you back to reality. You felt his chin rest on the top of your head, and you waited for him to speak, finally realizing why he held that bit of mischief in his eyes earlier. 

“You tend to run away from your emotions, do you not?” He murmured softly, and all you could do was let out a small noise. “I realized I had to get your attention somehow, and this seemed like the perfect option.” 

He let go of your waist and turned you around, a smile slipping onto his features, which seemed so soft in the sunlight coming from above. He held something in his hand, and you looked down to see a yellow cowslip in his fingers. “My Mother loves these flowers.” He said softly, bringing it up to tuck in your hair. “They represent happiness and luck.”

“But also mischief.” You finally spoke up, letting out a small laugh. “Honestly, could you get any cheesier? I thought you were the God of Mischief?”

He let out a chuckle, a sound that ringed in your ears and brought warmth to your stomach. “I could give you the whole world if you wished.” He only said in response, and you felt a warmth creeping up your neck. 

“But what if I didn’t want the whole world?” You asked, fiddling with your fingers, which he took notice of and encased in his own. “What if I-” Your words got caught up in your throat again, and you paused. 

“You needn’t be so tense around me, you know,” Loki said, bringing your fingers up to his lips and pressing a small kiss to them - light, feathery. “Surely by now, I would have imagined you took note of all the hints I gave you.”

“Hints?” You questioned, furrowing your brows to express your confusion. Was he referring to all those times you’ve encountered him in the halls? On the outside pavilion? When you two trained by yourselves? 

“Ah, you’re much denser than I thought.” He teased you, and you rolled your eyes, shoving his arm. He put on an expression of faux hurt. “Perhaps you should also be more careful with who exactly you entrust your feelings to.” 

You paused for a moment, pondering upon his words. Really, the only person you had ever told your feelings to was Mantis - but he couldn’t have possibly known, right? He wasn’t there? At least… You didn’t think so. Then again, you couldn’t be so sure. You were reminded of the instant in your room when Mantis’ eyes turned green for a split second.

“Are you-” You began slowly, squinting up into his eyes with a suspicious look on your face, dread twisting up your insides. “-talking about-"

“The empath? Yes.” He smirked, though there was nothing malicious there. “Though I must thank her one day, for I would have never gotten a confession out of you if I had gone up to you the way I am.”

“You little snake!” Your eyes widened, a blush breaking out on your features at the realization that hit. You crossed your arms, huffing out a breath of air, but your anger did not stay for long as you heard him let out a laugh, eyes shining with mirth. 

“A snake? Yes, surely you must have realized that by now.” He chuckled, wrapping his arms around you once again, pushing your head into the crook of his neck. He let out a hum, and you could feel the vibration it caused, his steady heartbeat giving you something to steel yourself with. You breathed in his scent, feeling your anger and humiliation ebb away. “But, my love, I believe it was worth it.”

You wholeheartedly agreed, for as you stood in the garden that teemed with intricate, beautiful life, encased in his warmth, you realized the feelings he held for you, and those you held for him were truly reciprocated. 

And it was nothing like an illusion. It was real and nothing could change that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> up next is the boi, peter parker, so staaaay tuned!! :)

**Author's Note:**

> hey hey ty for reading this joint fic of ours! kudos and comments are appreciated! :)) no spoilers for endgame here dwai


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